I have a shower curtain!!!!

We made it to Zheleznogorsk. Funny how it doesn't feel like I left. Here is how it went after the train ride...

We arrived at 6:48 and 38 seconds at the train station and made our way to the minibus van thing waiting for us. Short trip and we were at the hotel so we could check into our rooms and get cleaned up a little. We then piled in to the all familiar bus and ventured out to the mine site. Our morning was very hectic and we were scrambling to piece together where to start and where others had left us off. The office quickly filled with varying people all varying in their opinions as to what we should be doing. One particular fellow wasted a bunch of the chief's time with "plan" questions and essentially made for lost time. He was asked to leave us alone and to actually never return.

A site orientation followed for the newbie and I took him on a tour of the plant to show him what we'd be working on. We cut our day short at 3:00 and went back to the hotel to get settled in.

Saturday and Sunday was a holiday weekend for most back home, but as we were in a totally separate fundamental bible belt, Easter was a holiday much the same as Valentine's Day or Halloween. Recognized, but not celebrated as a holiday. We worked all weekend and endured meetings of the minds to evaluate, formulate, investigate and many other -ate words. If not for the 15 hours of sleep Saturday night, Sunday would have been painful.

So far we have been only eating, sleeping and working. Monday was no different. Somehow I ended up getting corned by the aforementioned "plan" questions guy and offered my two cents. My answers did not seem to be sufficient for him which begat question after question after stupid remark after stupid question after braindead reasoning before I passed all responsibility on to commander in chief. Unfortunately the commander was in the hotel with seared salmon flu and was personally greeted by the same "plan" question guy. He ended up with the nickname Jackoff. Jackoff was then told to nu yevo nahooie (F-off in Russian - I have mastered that one) but continues to ignore the requests and is apparently too stupid to know how irritating he is. Stupid can't recognize self-stupidity I guess. I know he is stupid and I could always be smarter.

We plugged away at our nagging issues and tried to make progress. So, other than the job, we are not doing much else. It snowed here today and was hovering around freezing. I packed for the temperature I remembered being in before I left the first time. No dice. I am wearing an extra shirt, but really it isn't too bad. Just wet and snowing.

I promise I won't bore you with job details.

But, that is all we have been doing is working and is in the forefront of my head. Second to wishing I was home and this prison sentence would end. It isn't that bad honestly. Just have lots to do....